Thu Jul 17 20:03:23 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:

**Uttar Pradesh Police Claim Success in Crime Crackdown, Opposition Alleges “Fake Encounters”**

**Lucknow, July 18, 2025** – Since 2017, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Yogi Adityanath, came to power in Uttar Pradesh, police have engaged in nearly 15,000 operations, resulting in the deaths of 238 criminals, according to figures released by the Uttar Pradesh police.

Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna stated that 14,973 operations have led to the arrest of 30,694 criminals. He also added that 9,467 of those arrested were shot in the leg for attacking the police. The DGP credited the aggressive crime crackdown to the Chief Minister’s directives, stating that criminals had no place in Uttar Pradesh and should either renounce their criminal activity or leave the state.

The Meerut zone recorded the highest number of encounters, with 7,969 arrests and 2,911 injuries. Other zones, such as Agra and Bareilly, also saw significant numbers of arrests and injuries.

The police also stated that Uttar Pradesh had the best law enforcement record in the country under the current government.

However, the opposition Congress party has challenged the police’s claims, alleging that many of the encounters were staged. Shahnawaz Alam, National Secretary of the Congress, called for the police to release demographic details of those targeted in the encounters, suggesting that certain social groups perceived as being against the current regime were disproportionately affected. He urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the matter further.

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